Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Horse Soldiers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 21, 2022

John Ford's "The Horse Soldiers" (1959) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The bonus features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by author and film historian Joseph McBride as well as vintage theatrical trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The Civil War. Colonel John Marlowe (John Wayne) is ordered to lead three brigades to Newton Station, the railroad junction supplying the Confederate forces at Vicksburg, and destroy it. It is immediately clear that the mission is extremely dangerous and Marlowe will lose many men, but success or failure at Newton Station could very well determine who wins the war.

Before Marlowe goes on the road, he is also ordered to take with him a new but very experienced surgeon, Major Henry Kendall (William Holden), who immediately reveals a willingness to question his assessment of the war. Marlowe immediately recognizes that Kendall’s intellect would cause problems and proceeds to limit his ability to damage his reputation in public, but the newcomer very quickly proves to be an even better opponent than he had initially guessed.

During a forced stop in the countryside, Marlowe also misjudges Miss Hannah Hunter (Constance Towers), a Confederate sympathizer, who overhears a detailed description of his plan to reach Newton Station and ends up riding with his men. As an unusually feisty female hostage, however, Miss Hunter also causes plenty of problems for Marlow.

The Horse Soldiers is the only film John Ford directed in which the focus of attention is solely on the Civil War. It is based on the novel by Harold Sinclair, which was adapted by Martin Rackin and John Lee Mahin.

Describing The Horse Soldiers as a historically accurate film about the Civil War, however, is quite a stretch. In fact, it is a seriously misleading description because Ford uses the Civil War only as a foundation for a pretty colorful period melodrama that just as easily could have been staged. Indeed, the most important material in The Horse Soldiers does not feature accurately recreated events from the bloody conflict between the North and the South; it does not reexamine crucial strategies that determined its resolution either. The most important material actually focuses on Marlowe’s evolving relationship with Kendall and Hunter, which brings together a wide range of contrasting thoughts and views that supposedly provide an authentic summation of the conflict. This concept isn’t new, but considering that it was Ford directing, it is awfully difficult not to speculate that The Horse Soldiers might have been vastly superior as a straightforward war drama.

But it is awfully easy to make a case that as it is done the melodrama in The Horse Soldiers is quite effective as well. Indeed, the melodrama allows The Horse Soldiers to humanize the two rivaling sides and reveal how regardless of the nature of their beliefs the war affects and changes both in the exact same manner. It is irrelevant how and why one side triumphs, and how and why the other side fails because death is always present. This is the main point that Marlowe’s interactions with Kendall and Hunter repeatedly emphasize -- their differences, intellectual or political, are meaningless because they are surrounded by death and enduring its consequences. They are just revealing their frustrations and fears differently.

If examined in the same context, the film’s sense of humor, which has often been placed under the spotlight, feels entirely justified as well. It is essential for the humanization of the main characters as well as everyone else that interacts with them. It also enhances the presence of death, which becomes more and more obvious as Marlowe and his men march toward their final destination.

The Horse Soldiers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Horse Soldiers arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a new 4K master. It is a good master, but I must say that The Horse Soldiers will have to undergo a 4K meticulous restoration before it looks as good as it should. The current presentation is healthy and certainly quite pleasing, but there are different areas of the film that reveal minor yet obvious traces of aging and other inconsistencies that a proper 4K restoration will undoubtedly address. For example, there is footage where backgrounds reveal minor color pulsations that affect delineation and dynamic range stability (screencapture #18 is from one such sequence). In darker footage, there are darker nuances that could have been handled better as well. Minor surface wear is noticeable, too. The color balance is convincing. However, this is another area where particular enhancements and meaningful improvements can be made. On the current master, a lot of the darker primaries and nuances can be better balanced to retain existing details. Image stability is good, but I did notice a few shaky transitions. All in all, I think that the new 4K master that was prepared is quite good, but ideally The Horse Soldiers should look better in high-definition. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Horse Soldiers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I did not encounter any anomalies to report in our review. On the contrary, I thought that the audio is very solid and healthy. The clash at the train station also has pretty good dynamic potency for a film from the 1950s. Can the audio sound better? I must speculate that at best there could be minor cosmetic improvements that enhance stability and expand some mid-ranges. In terms of dynamic intensity, however, I think that the current audio performs really well.

The Horse Soldiers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by film historian Joseph McBride, author of Searching for John Ford.

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered vintage theatrical trailer for The Horse Soldiers. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

The Horse Soldiers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Can The Horse Soldiers be placed among John Ford's greatest films? I don't think so. It does not have that grand appearance that Ford's films are famous for and liked. However, I think that its melodrama and humor, which critics often cite as problematic, are actually quite effective if examined in a proper context. Indeed, it seems pretty obvious that The Horse Soldiers was not meant to be a historically accurate film about the Civil War, but reflective of what ordinary people on both ends of it endured. In such a film, well-managed melodrama and humor can greatly minimize the conventional politics of war, and this is precisely what occurs in The Horse Soldiers. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a good new 4K master, but ideally this film should look even better on Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED.